NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do Through New Year’s Eve and Beyond

Who is a real New Yorker?  It depends on who you ask.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter was interviewed recently by

Time Out New York

Where to Go Ice Skating in NYC

FREE Ice Skating in Bryant Park

Another sure sign the holidays are coming is the arrival of the Bryant Park Winter Village, FREE ice skating and  nearly 200 holiday kiosks, featuring handmade crafts, food, jewelry and gift items.

The holiday kiosks close on January 5, but the ice skating continues through March 2, 2025.

• The holiday kiosks are open daily.
• Monday-to Friday, 11am-8pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-8pm.

FREE Ice Skating Rules

The  17,000-square-foot ice-skating rink is FREE with our own skates.  There also are skates and lockers for rental.

• Skating is available daily from 8am-10pm.
• Extended hours of 8am-midnight are available on Thursdays-Sundays starting November 7, and again daily December 1-January 5.

Also returning are –

• The Lodge: a covered, outdoor après-themed area where visitors can grab a festive cocktail, enjoy delicious food, watch the ice skaters or admire the tree.
•  The Curling Café returns in mid-November with iceless curling, food, drinks, and each lane’s own private igloo. These are warm, cozy spots which can be booked for a small party or for date night.

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center

• The Rink at Rockefeller Center is open daily through March.   Reservations recommended.

Ice Skating at the Wollman Rink in Central Park

The iconic rink is open through March 2025.

During the skating season, enjoy skyline views, rinkside igloos, an expanded skate school, and free access programs.

General admission ranges from $15-$38 for adults, depending on the date; kids and seniors get in for $10/person. Skate rentals cost $12.

New Yorkers who have historically not been able to afford a visit can get free and reduced access through the Wollman Rink Access Program.

Through Culture Pass, free skating admission tickets are available online for New Yorkers with a NYPL card.

Plus, New Yorkers with a library card or ID NYC card can stop by the box office each day to purchase a $15 package that includes admission, skate rental, and hot cocoa. The package is available each day, first-come, first-served.

The Rink at Brookfield Place

Brookfield Place has plenty of holiday activities under its iconic palm trees inside, but outside, you’ll find a seasonally appropriate winter wonderland.

The complex’s riverside skating rink is now open for the season for public skating and private lessons. One-hour sessions start at $15 on weekdays and $17 on weekends.

Find the full schedule and book a spot on the ice here.

The Rooftop at Pier 17

Spice up skating season with a dash of Irish whiskey at the Rooftop at Pier 17; the venue is partnering with legendary Irish pub the Dead Rabbit for a holiday pop up dubbed “Jingle Jangle”, including  nostalgic Irish holiday festivities,  kitschy cocktails , private cozy dining cabins, over-the-top decorations.

Admission ranges from $13 to $40, and it’s open seven days a week, with hours stretching until 11 p.m. on Saturdays. Find more info and reserve a spot here.

Winter Whirl Roller Rink at the Shops at the Oculus

Okay, it’s not ice skating – but it is skating.

The Oculus’s much-loved Winter Whirl Roller Rink returns for its second season starting November 22, giving skaters the opportunity to glide around (on wheels) amid the building’s breathtaking architecture.

The rink is open Wednesdays through Sundays until January 5 and runs $30 for adults, $25 for children under 13. Book your spot here.

Ice Skating Under the Brooklyn Bridge

The Roebling Rink is one of the newest additions to rinks in NYC parks where you can go ice skating – and this one is under the Brookyn Bridge, with memorable views of Manhattan. .

Opening Monday, November 25, tickets are on sale now.

Roebling Rink, located underneath the Brooklyn Bridge at the picturesque Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, is perfect for skaters of all ages and skill levels.

With affordable rates —just $10 for skating, $7 for rentals, $3 for helmets, and $5 for skate buddies— there’s no better place to create unforgettable winter memories.

Plus, Brooklyn residents can enjoy free skating on Sunday mornings 10-11 AM and Mondays 5-6 PM throughout the season (first come, first served; tickets are walk-up only).

For more details and to grab your tickets, visit RoeblingRink.com.

Ice Skating in Domino Park in Brooklyn

Another brand new ice skating rink this season is the new one in Domino Park, along the waterfront in Williamsburg, with reduced prices for NYC residents.

Full-price ticketing is $18 for a 75 minute session and $12 for NYC residents.

Skating is  open Monday – Friday from 12PM to 9PM and Saturday/Sunday from 9AM to 9PM.

• The main entrance is located on South 3rd Street, between Kent Avenue and River Street.

Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park

This is a unique space because there’s the choice of both outdoors and indoors.

Covered rink: Mon – Thurs: 11am – 4:30pm, Friday: 11am – 8:30pm, Saturday: 1pm – 8:30pm, Sunday: 12:30pm – 6pm

Open air rink: Mon – Thurs: 11am – 7pm, Friday: 11am – 8:30pm, Saturday: 11am – 8:30pm, Sunday: 11am – 7pm

Cost: $10.60 weekdays, $15.25 weekends, $10.35 skate rental, $27.20 skate aid rental (lockers, bag check, helmets, elbow/knee pads also available for rental)

Best New NYC Museum Exhibits

Museum of the City of New York (MCNY)

Even before you see these fabulous gingerbread creations, you’ll smell their sweet-spicy aromas wafting through the halls.

Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off  returns to the Museum of the City of New York with a couple of dozen beautiful and intricate gingerbread structures that reflect the wonder of NYC, crafted by a mix of amateur and professional bakers.

Each creation  emulates an iconic part of the city, from the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Coney Island Wonder Wheel and the Prospect Park Boathouse to a bodega, complete with an equally iconic bodega cat.

A panel of professional chefs and restaurant owners will pick the winner for bragging rights.  And there’s also a People’s Choice award – so you get to choose, too.

ecoxplorer tip – Be sure to stop at the MCNY gift store for gingerbread ornaments and other great gift items with a NYC theme.

• On display through Jan 12, 2025
• FREE with museum admission

Museum of Art and Design (MAD)

Barbie^®: A Cultural Icon explores the 65-year history of Barbie and the doll’s global impact on fashion and popular culture through an expansive display of more than 250 vintage dolls, life-size fashion designs, advertisements, and other artifacts, including a full-size Corvette for selfies.  It’s a timeline also of how the American culture has changed with women’s rights, diversity and more – great fodder for discussion as you visit.

On view through Mar 16, the exhibition traces the evolution of Barbie from a child’s toy to a global icon, exploring the style trends, careers, and identities that Barbie has embodied and popularized since her debut in 1959.

There also are FREE docent tours (with admission), and before-hours and after-hours tours.

Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum is currently exhibiting the first major retrospective of Elizabeth Catlett’s career. Catlett’s only public commissioned work sought to honor author Ralph Ellison in Riverside Park near where he and his wife Fanny lived. The efforts of Harlem residents in partnership with the Riverside Park Conservancy resulted in the funding for the Ralph Ellison Memorial and the selection of artist Elizabeth Catlett’s sculpture “Invisible Man” for it.

In addition to the Brooklyn Museum exhibit, there are two free events in Manhattan which  explore the history and context of the memorial’s creation:

• Sunday, 11/24, 12:30–3 pm, Lobby of 730 Riverside Drive: Ralph Ellison Memorial Walking Tour. Explore aspects of Ellison’s life and career in his neighborhood with Harlem historian John T. Reddick.
• Sunday, 11/24, 2–3 pm, American Academy of Arts and Letters (633 W 155th St.): Elizabeth Catlett, Public Art in Context. Reddick and panelists will discuss the Ellison Memorial in the context of Catlett’s career, engagement with the Harlem community, and identity as an artist. Panelists include: Dalila Scruggs (Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Catlett scholar); Ken Smith (the Ellison memorial project’s landscape architect); Francisco Mora, Jr. (son of Elizabeth Catlett).

Visit the Brooklyn Museum’s current exhibit about Elizabeth Catlett until January 2025.

9/11 Memorial and Museum

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001 – The World Trade Center redefined the city’s skyline and developed modern New York. Learn the story in a new exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

The 9/11 Museum is currently open six days a week, 9am to 7pm (plus select Tuesdays). Explore at your own pace, and plan to spend at least 45-90 minutes.

Bring tissues.  Some exhibits are not appropriate for very young children.

• The 9/11 Museum is adjacent to the FREE  9/11 Memorial Plaza, with the famous waterfalls.  That is open to the public 8am to 8pm daily.
• The museum is not free.  Tickets for the 9/11 Museum can be purchased here up to six months in advance. 

Responsibility of Memory: The Role of Art in Holocaust Remembrance

Holocaust Remembrance Day was in May, but this virtual art exhibit remembering Yom HaShoah is on-going, sponsored by The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme

The FREE online exhibit features three generations of artists whose lives were impacted by the Holocaust and whose art was shaped by this experience – including artists who survived  Auschwitz Birkenau and Terezin.

There are full descriptions of each painting, along with bios of each artist represented in the exhibit.

The exhibition was curated by the Center for Persecuted Arts and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and is sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office with support from of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.

ICYMI – News Worth Noting

Fotografiska New York Has Closed

The photography museum has closed its location at 219 Park Avenue South to move to a new, larger space.  It is expected the museum’s well-regarded restaurant Verōnika and the Chapel Bar will re-open in the new space.

According to Crain’s, the architecturally stunning building is being put on the market.  The property was last listed in 2022 for $135 million.

Constructed between 1892 and 1894 for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church, the ornate building  features a Flemish Renaissance Revival style and a striking limestone facade.

The building, known as the Church Missions House, was part of an area formerly known as “Charity Row.” It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

No details of a new location for the museum have been announced yet.

Frick Madison is Closed Permanently

After three years at its temporary space called Frick Madison at 945 Madison Ave. while Henry Clay Frick’s historic and ornate Fifth Avenue mansion underwent a massive renovation, the artwork returns “home” to East 70th Street,  and scheduled to reopen in April 2025

It will take that long for curators and designers to re-install the precious items, which includes works by Fragonard, Holbein, Rembrandt, Turner, Vermeer, and Whistler, as well as significant sculptures, Chinese porcelain, Oriental carpets, bronzes, and other decorative arts objects.

I really enjoyed seeing the luscious historic collection in the stark, modernist setting of Marcel Breuer’s iconic building, formerly home of the Whitney Museum of American Art, before it moved downtown to new digs in Chelsea.  The “brutalist” architecture made the romantic, ethereal artworks feel so much more romantic and ethereal.

The building has been purchased by Sotheby’s, to become an exhibit area for auctions and offices.

Michelin Guide Adds 12 NYC Restaurants

Fine dining just got more fine with the addition of 12 NYC restaurants to the famous Michelin Guide, bringing the number to 142.

• The new additions include French, Italian, seafood, Thai and Filippino choices
• See the full list here.   Reservations recommended.

Landing Day

On Sept. 15, 1654,  a group of 23 Sephardic Jews arrived on the shores of New York — then called New Amsterdam — and created the first organized Jewish community in the city. Today, 350 years later, NYC is home to the largest Jewish population of any city in the world.

• The City Council has voted on a resolution to honor both, turning Landing Day from an event marked by a few Jewish leaders into an official date on the city’s calendar. That’s just short of making it a holiday, like Juneteenth.
• The resolution aims to “commemorate the arrival of the first Jewish community in New Amsterdam in 1654 and to celebrate the continuing importance of the Jewish community in the City of New York.”

Food Hall Opening in former Lord & Taylor Building

NYC’s newest food hall, Shaver Hall, is set to open in the iconic former Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue between 38th and 39th Sts., now housing Amazon.  According to a press release, it will “celebrate the rich heritage of the iconic Lord & Taylor building and promises to redefine the culinary landscape of Midtown Manhattan.”

• Shaver Hall is named in honor of Dorothy Shaver, the trailblazing president of Lord & Taylor and first woman to head a multimillion-dollar business.
• The first two announced tenants are Chick Chick, featuring Korean-inspired chicken, and Taqueria Al Pastor, with Mexican cuisine.

About the Lord & Taylor building –

• Originally constructed in 1914, the Lord & Taylor Building is an 11-story commercial masterpiece in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, designed by renowned architects Starrett & van Vleck.
• The building’s granite, brick, and limestone facade and copper cornice have symbolized elegance and sophistication for over a century, including for its famous and famously inventive holiday windows.

Gotham West Market  is Closing

Gotham West Market, a food hall that had been around for 11 years, will close at the end of the year after declining for several years, with the departure of popular tenants such as Ivan Ramen.

At its peak the  10,000-square-foot food hall in Hell’s Kitchen on 11th Avenue  was considered one of the city’s leading food halls, even proclaiming itself as the city’s best.

The Vessel at Hudson Yards Re-Opens

• The famous honeycomb sculpture has re-opened after shutting down in January following three suicides, but it is no longer FREE to visit.
• The 150-foot Vessel now has safety netting to safeguard visitors, and the once-free architectural sculpture now costs $10 per person.
• Visitors must buy at least two tickets and will not be allowed to visit alone.
• Hudson Yards is “installing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline signage and messaging” and increasing security, CNN reported.

Serendipity 3 Opens in Times Square.

• The famous ice cream parlor will keep it’s Upper East Side location open, and add this new one.
• Read the full story, with photos, in this MarketWatch article. 

Citi Bike Rate Increase

Lyft, the rideshare company which now owns and operates the bike share program, has raised rates again, especially for the popular battery-assisted e-bikes.

• Unlocking a Citi Bike now costs $4.79.
• E-bike fees are now approximately $10 for 15 minutes.
• A day pass for a manual bike is now $19.

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See Also

More FREE Things to Do in NYC

Things to Do in Staten Island

Best NYC Airport Transportation

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It’s All Happening at one of the NYC Zoos

Bronx Zoo

One of the largest zoos in the USA, the beloved Bronx Zoo has been celebrating its 125th anniversary throughout 2024, with a combination of new exhibits and a yearlong schedule of special events – including – .

Animal Chronicles: A NEW temp exhibit includes a walking trail of more than a quarter mile featuring life-size and gigantic, immersive eco-sculptures that showcase key achievements in the Bronx Zoo’s history of saving animal species and connecting New Yorkers to wildlife.

• Animal Chronicles will be available daily and is included with admission.

Monthly Birthday Celebrations: Weekend celebrations will be spread throughout the park on select days from April through September, including parades, performances, crafting, scavenger hunts, tours, Wildlife Theater, and much more.

• Each month features a different theme.
• Ticket prices are $37.75 for adults, $33.25 for seniors 65+ and  $28.75 for children 3-15.
• Purchase tickets online here. 

Wednesdays are FREE limited-admission

• Online reservations for timed tickets open on Mondays at 5 pm at the link.
• These tickets are for park entry only; individual-attraction tickets cost $7/person, per attraction.
• All visitors age 3 and up are required to have a ticket, and to reserve you must register with a valid email address.
• Limited tickets; first-reserved, first-served,

Prospect Park Zoo

The Prospect Park Zoo is open again after being forced to close for eight months due to  flood damage caused by the storm last September, which left 25 feet of water in the buildings’ basements.  No animals were harmed during or after the flooding. Repairs have cost  an estimated $20 million of federal funds, and repair projects are continuing even after the re-opening.

There are some new young animals, including baboons Bandari and Nyani and Pinnelopi the porcupette  plus Turtle Time and Conservation stations, sea lion feedings with narration, and more.

The animals are happy to have their humans, back, too.

• Adult tickets are $9.95, seniors are $7.95, children ages 3-12 are $6.95, and children 2 and under are free.
• Reserve tickets here

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See Also

Best FREE Things in NYC Year-Round

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FREE – Late Night Shows Taped in New York City

The late night shows taped in NYC are one of the most popular tickets in town. Here’s how to get FREE tickets to be in the audience.

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

• Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

• Jon Stewart Returns to The Daily Show 

• Tickets for Saturday Night Live (SNL)

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FREE Weekly & Monthly Museum Admission FREE Monday Admission to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

First Monday of the Month  – This great opportunity is only for NYC residents.  You will have to show proof of NYC residency for free admission.

Everybody can get FREE admission every Monday, from  from 5:30pm to 7pm.

Simply log onto 911memorial.org from 7am on the Monday morning of your intended visit and book your free ticket.

Tickets are always free to 9/11 families, and the outdoor memorial plaza is always free.

• More information here.

FREE Admission to Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Friday, Dec. 6, Jan. 3

UNIQLO NYC Nights are the first Friday of each month,  4–8 pm.

New York City residents get free admission courtesy of UNIQLO, but everyone can enjoy an evening out in our galleries with paid admission.

See new art in the galleries, enjoy music by DJs from The Lot Radio, grab a drink at the  pop-up bar, get creative with drop-in drawing sessions, see a film in the  theaters, and enjoy the spring weather in the lovely outdoor sculpture garden.

• Timed admission tickets  must be reserved online in advance.

FREE First Fridays at Neue Galerie, Friday, Fri., , Dec. 6, Jan. 3

First Fridays at Neue Galerie offer free admission and extra hours to closing, the first Friday of the month.

Visitors are  admitted free at 5 p.m. and the galleries remain open until 8 p.m.  No registration is required, and admission is first-come, first-served.

The Book Store and Design Shop stay open late, too.

FREE First Fridays at Poster House, Friday, Fri., Dec. 6, Jan. 3

Poster House is the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters.  First Fridays free admission is all day, 10am to 9pm

Every First Friday is different, with tours, workshops, performances, and activities, to further engage visitors with the exhibitions.

• Poster House is at 119 West 23 St. in Chelsea. tel. 617-447-7453

FREE Fridays & Sundays at the Whitney Museum of American Art

Update – Starting in mid-December, the The Whitney Museum of American Art will begin offering free admission for all visitors 25 and under.  starting in mid-December.

The new program builds upon the museum’s free admission on Fridays and the second Sunday of every month, which launched earlier in 2024, replacing  its “pay-what-you-wish” system.

Now, adminision is FREE for all visitors on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on the second Sunday of every mont.

Second Sundays offers free all-day admission to visitors and special programming for families. On the second Sunday of every month, guests can enjoy all-ages arts & crafts activities, tours, classes, and other special events connected to exhibitions on view at the Whitney or significant community events like Earth Day or Pride Month.

Also on view will be the museum’s permanent collection exhibitions, featuring artists such as Edward Hopper, Kara Walker, Georgia O’Keeffe, Kevin Beasley, Faith Ringgold, Lee Krasner, Jasper Johns, Alexander Calder, Jacob Lawrence, Carrie Mae Weems, Andrea Carlson, and Clarissa Tossin.

The Whitney hopes free admission will make the museum more enticing to potential visitors and open the doors to a wider audience.

Free admission tickets must be reserved in advance.

FREE Saturdays at the Jewish Museum

There is FREE admission every Saturday.

My personal favorite is the ongoing “Scenes from the Collection” exhibit, with the delightful yellow sculpture shown here.  From one side, it spells OY, the German and Yiddish phrase for “uh-oh”.  From the other side, it spells YO, now used by multiple cultures in NYC as a greeting.

Which one do you use – OY, or YO, or both?

• The Jewish Museum is at 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.

FREE Tours of Hart Island

Hart Island is now open to the public.  Since 1869, more than 1 million New Yorkers have been laid to rest on the island.

NYC Parks is now offering visits twice per month so New Yorkers can learn about its important history and see the beauty of the island and enjoy picture postcard views of the city.

You can put your name in the lottery for a free walking tour here.

Read about the history of Hart Island in this article in The City.

• Tours are Tuesdays, 10am to 1pm

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This NYC Best Things to Do Calendar is updated at the beginning and middle of each month.

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ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also is the author or editor of numerous NYC guidebooks and apps.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA),

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA)

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter

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